The Rothley Brook is a left bank tributary of the
River Soar
The River Soar () is a major tributary of the River Trent in the English East Midlands and is the principal river of Leicestershire. The source of the river is midway between Hinckley and Lutterworth. The river then flows north through Leicest ...
in
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
Course
It first becomes noticeable after
Thornton Reservoir
Thornton Reservoir is a small reservoir situated in the National Forest near the village of Thornton in Leicestershire. It has a surface area of and a perimeter of . It was originally built in 1854 when it had its own treatment works which we ...
, near the village of
Thornton in the
National Forest. It then flows through
Desford
Desford is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district, west of the centre of Leicester and around 7 miles north east of Hinckley. Situated on a hill approximately 400 feet above sea level, the parish includes the hamlets ...
and
Ratby
Ratby is a commuter village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England. It is situated to the west of Leicester, and just south of the M1 motorway. ( Groby is on the northern side of the M1.) The popula ...
before being joined by a tributary from
Kirby Muxloe
Kirby Muxloe is a large village and civil parish that forms part of the Blaby district of Leicestershire, England. Located to the west of Leicester, its proximity to the city has resulted in its inclusion in the Leicester Urban Area. The Le ...
just before
Glenfield.
After Glenfield, it flows around
Anstey,
Cropston
Cropston is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Thurcaston and Cropston, part of the Borough of Charnwood in Leicestershire, England. It is on the edge of Charnwood Forest, and lies close to Bradgate Park. In 1931 the parish ...
and
Thurcaston
Thurcaston is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Thurcaston and Cropston, in the Borough of Charnwood, Charnwood district, in Leicestershire, England. It was the home of Bishop Hugh Latimer.
It borders the villages of Anst ...
before finally reaching
Rothley
Rothley ( ) is a village and civil parish within the Borough of Charnwood in Leicestershire, England. Situated around west of the River Soar and north of Leicester, it had a population of 3,612 inhabitants . The population measured at the 201 ...
where it joins the River Soar.
History
It was previously known as "Heathe Brook".
Between Two Forests: the Social and Topographic Evolution of Medieval Anstey
/ref>
Castle Hill Park
The Rothley Brook is one of the defining features of the large Castle Hill Country Park in Anstey and runs parallel to Cropston Road and the A46 as well as passing underneath Anstey Lane, Thurcaston.
The parts of the brook which flow through Castle Hill Park are a haven for wildlife, including kingfisher
Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...
s.
References
{{authority control
Rivers of Leicestershire
1Rothley